Tack-pulling machine.



A. EPPLER.

TACK PULLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00121;,1901

Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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TACK PULLING MACHINE.

nrmoumx mum 00T '.26 ,1907.

968,755.. Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

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APPLIOATIOF TILED 001226, 1907.

Patented Au 30, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Jia/enzvr M ML.

A. EPPLER.

TACK PULLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.28,1907.

Patented Aug. 30,1910. 7

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW EPPLER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA-CHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TACK-PULLING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW EPPLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tack-PullingMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to tack pulling machines and moreparticularly to a machine for pulling from a lasted shoe the insoletacks which are driven through the insole at or near its medial lineinto the bottom of the last prior to the lasting operation to hold theinsole in position.

The tacks which secure the insole of a lasted shoe to the last aredriven in flush withthe surface of the sole, and prior to the presentinvention no machine has been devised by which these tacks can bewithdrawn, but the operation of pulling the insole tacks has beenperformed by means of a hand tool.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine by which theinsole tacks can be readily and quickly pulled from a shoe when held inthe hands of an operator and manipulated to present each tack to theaction of the tack pulling tool or tools of the machine.

With this object in view the present invention contemplates theprovision of a tack pulling tool, or tools, having its working or tackengaging end shaped to dig into the sole of a shoe so as to pass underthe head of a tack, together with mechanism for actuating the tool todig into the sole of the shoe and pull the tack, and means forsupporting said mechanism constructed and arranged to permit the shoe tobe presented properly to the tool. To avoid injury to the sole as muchas possible by the action of the tack pulling tool thereon, it isdesirable that a tack be located directly in the path of the tackpulling tool whenever the shoe is moved to a position in which the toolwill dig into the sole. Accordingly a feature of the present inventioncontemplates the provision of guiding or gaging means by which theoperator can determine the correct posi- Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed October 26, 1907.

Patented Aug. 30, 1910. Serial No. 399,312.

tion for the shoe before it is given its final movement to cause thetack to be engaged by the tool. To insure accuracy this gaging means ispreferably a foot arranged to engage the sole at the point where thetack to be pulled is located or closely adjacent thereto, and the footis preferably movably mounted so that the shoe can first be brought intoengagement with the foot and thereafter moved with the foot to projecttheltack into the path of movement of the too The mechanism foractuating the tack pulling tool or tools may operate either continuouslyor intermittently. It is preferred, however, to operate this mechanismintermittently and to throw it into operation only when a tack is inposition to be pulled. It is also preferred to actuate the tack pullingtool or tools but once each time a tack is brought into the pat-h'ofmovement of the tool, as when the tool is so actuated there is lessliability of injury to the sole. In the machine hereinafter specificallydescribed the mechanism for actuating the tack pulling tool isconveniently controlled by the movement of the movable foot which servesas a guiding means to determine the position of the shoe.

In addition to the features of invention above referred to the presentinvention also consists in certain constructions and arrangements ofparts hereinafter described and claimed the advantages of which will beobvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present invention will be clearly understood from an inspection ofthe accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view in front elevationof a tack pulling machine embodying the several features thereof intheir preferred form. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the machinelooking from the right. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation looking fromthe left. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3looking toward the rear of the machine, and Fig. 5is a detail view of aportion of the starting and stopping mechanism.

The movable tack pulling jaw is indicated at l and is formed upon adownward projecting portion of a lever 2, pivoted at 3 upon the lowerend of a vertical reciproeating slide 4. The tack pulling jaw isactuated so as to cause its working end to dig into the surface of thesole of a shoe at one side of the head of a tack and to then passbeneath the head of the tack and rise away from the shoe sole to removethe tack by reciprocating the slide 4 and oscillating the lever 2 intimed relation to the movements of the slide. The slide 4 isreciprocated by means of an eccentric 5 on the driving shaft of themachine and a strap and link 6 connecting the eccentric and the upperend of the slide. To impart the desired oscillating movements to thelever 2 the free end of the lever is connected by means of a link 7 toan arm 8 projecting from a sleeve 9 mounted upon a pivot pin 10, whichsleeve is provided with a vertical arm 11 having a roll at its upper endengaging a groove in a cam disk 12 secured to the driving shaft. Theshoe is presented to the tool with the surface of the sole insubstantially a horizontal plane and the mechanism for reciprocating theslide 4 and oscillating the lever 2 is so arranged that as the slide 4begins its downward movement, the free end of the lever 2 is raised sothat the working end of the tack pulling jaw is pointed downwardly andassumes a position in which it can be thrust into the sole. As the slide4 reaches the limit of its downward movement the free end of the lever 2is lowered and the working end of the tack pulling jaw is forced beneaththe head of the tack. During the upward movement of the slide 4 theswinging movement of the lever 2 is con tinued but at a slower speeduntil the tack is drawn from the shoe, the tack pulling movement of thejaw being but slightly inclined from the vertical so that the tack ispulled from the shoe substantially in the direction of its length.

The foot illustrated in the drawings, by which the tack is located inproper position with relation to the tack pulling jaw 1, is indicated at13. In the construction illustrated in the drawin s this foot isprovided with an inclined surface 14 which holds the tack in engagementwith the working end of the tack pulling jaw 1 while it is being removedfrom the shoe. The lower end of the foot forms an abutment to supportthe tack against the thrust of the tack pulling jaw as the jaw passesbeneath the head of the tack, and to insure the engagement of the footwith the side of the head of the tack it is preferably provided withprojections or teeth, as indicated at 15, which are forced into the soleat the opposite side of the tack to that engaged by the tack pullingjaw. To enable the tack to be located accurately in proper position withrelation to the path of movement of the tack pulling jaw before the jawengages the sole of the shoe, the foot 13 is mounted in such ositionthat its lower end normally is in a p ane below the path of movement ofthe working end of the jaw, and the foot is supported so that it canmove from this position to a position in which its lower end is on alevel with, or slightly above, the lowest point of the path of movementof the jaw. To this end the jaw is secured to the forward end of a lever16 pivotally mounted upon the frame of the machine and supported at itsrear end by means of a coiled spring 17. Adjustable stop screws 18 and19, mounted in projections from the frame of the machine and located onopposite sides of a lateral projection from the rear end of the lever16, determine the normal lower position of the foot and limit the extentof its upward movement.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings, the foot 13 acts as ajaw to cooperate with the tack pulling aw 1 in pulling a tack from ashoe. To enable thefoot to more effectively withstand the thrust of thetack pulling jaw, the forward end of the lever 16 is preferablysupported against lateral movement by means of an abutment- 20 formed bya downward projection on the frame of the machine. During the tackpulling operation the shoe is forced upwardly by the operator and heldagainst the downward thrust of the tack pulling jaw. The lateral thrustof the tack pulling jaw is exerted upon the inclined surface 14 of thefoot 13 and this thrust also tends to force the foot downwardly againstthe upward pressure exerted by the operator. The foot is thus allowed tomove so as to accommodate difierent sizes of tacks and thereby theengagement of all sizes of tacks with certainty by the tack pulling jawis insured and at the same time any liability of injury to either thefoot or the aw is obviated.

It is evident that the parts of the machine so far described willoperate in a satisfactory manner if the driving shaft is rotatedcontinuously since the tack to be pulled can be located accurately withrelation to the tack pulling jaw before being brought into the path ofmovement of the jaw. The machine as illustrated is, however, providedwith means whereby the driving shaft can be thrown into operation afterthe tack is brought into the proper position with rela tion to the tackpulling jaw and by which it can be thrown out of operation after eachtack is pulled. To avoid the necessity of a foot treadle and a separateoperation on the part of the operator in throwlng the driving shaft intoand out of operation, the movement of the foot 13 is utilized incontrolling the rotation of the driving shaft. To this end a clutchreleasing rod 21 is provided which passes loosely through the rear endof the lever 16 and which is provided below the lever with adjustablenuts 22 and 23, one of which bears against the lever, and the other ofwhich receives the thrust of the upper end of the spring 17, theconstruction being such that a downward movement of the rear end of thelever 16, produced by an upward movement of the foot 13, pulls the rod21 downward. At its upper end the rod 21 is guided by a slot formed in aprojection from an arm 2% of a pivotally mounted clutch controllingframe and by a slot formed in a plate 25 secured to an arm 26 of theclutch controlling frame. A notch 27 is formed in one side of the rod 21near its upper end and when the driving shaft is at rest this notch isheld in engagement with the plate 25 by means of a coiled spring 28connecting the rod 21 and a projection on the clutch controlling frame.In the upper end of the arm 24:, a cushion plunger 29 is mounted, whichplunger is arranged to engage a shoulder 30 on a clutch member 31 faston the driving shaft. Between the clutch member 31 and a constantlyrotated belt pulley 32 loosely mounted on the driving shaft, is arrangedclutch mechanism of any suitable or well-known construction which isadapted to clutch the pulley to the shaft whenever the plunger 29 ismoved out of engagement with the shoulder '30 on the clutch member 31.The plunger 29 is moved out of engagement with the shoulder30 wheneverthe rod 21 is depressed as will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 5,the downward movement of the rod acting to swing the clutch controllingframe by reason of the engagement of the notch 27 in the rod with theplate 25 which is secured to the clutch controlling frame. Continueddownward movement of the rod after the plunger 29 is disengaged from theshoulder 30, causes the arm 24 of the clutch controlling frame, to swingthe rod 21 outwardly to remove the notch 27 from engagement with theplate 25 and thereby release the frame. The clutch member 31 is providedwith a peripheral cam surface and upon this surface the side of theplunger 29 rests until the driving shaft has made one completerevolution When the shoulder 30 again engages the upper end of theplunger and the shaft comes torest. To stop the driving shaft graduallyand without excessive shock, a brake shoe 33 is pivotally mounted uponan arm 34 of the clutch controlling frame and is arranged to cooperatewith a brake disk 35 secured to the driving shaft. When the drivingshaft is at rest the brake shoe is held in engagement with the brakedisk by means of a springpressed plunger 36 mounted in a guideway in aprojection from the frame of the machine and acted upon by a coiledspring 37. During the rotation of the shaft, the brake shoe is held outof engagement with the brake disk by engagement of the peripheral camsurface of the clutch member 31 with the side of the plunger 29.

From the description above given of the mechanism by which the rotationof the driving shaft is controlled by the movements of the foot 13, itwill be obvious that the driving shaft is normally at rest and is onlythrown into operation after a tack has been located in proper positionwith relation to the foot and the tack pulling jaw 1 and the shoe hasbeen pressedupwardly to bring the tack into the path of movement of thejaw. As the foot reaches its upward. position, the driving shaft isthrown into operation and makes one complete revolution during which thetack pulling jaw is actuated to pull the tack from the shoe in themanner before described.

The nature and scope of the present invention having been indicated anda machine embodying the several features thereof in their preferred formhaving been specifically described, what is claimed is 1. A machine forpulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, in combination, a tackpulling tool provided with a working end shaped to dig into the sole ofa shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, mechanism for actuating thetool to dig into the sole of a shoe and engage a tack and pull the tackfrom the shoe, and means for supporting said mechanism constructed andarranged to permit the shoe to be presented properly to the tool.

2. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool provided with a working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, gagingmeans to determine the correct position for the shoe before it is movedto bring the tack into the path of movement of the tool, and mechanismfor actuating the tool to dig into the sole of a.shoe and engage thetack and pull the tack from the shoe.

3. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool provided with a working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, gagingmeans arranged to bear against the sole of the shoe and determine thecorrect position for the shoe before it is moved to bring the tack intothe path of movement of the tool, and mechanism for actuating the toolto dig into the sole of a shoe and engage a tack and pull the tack fromthe shoe.

4. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool provided with a working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, a footarranged to engage the surface of the sole close to the tack which is tobe pulled and determine the correct position for the shoe, and mechanismfor actuating the tool to dig into the sole of a shoe and engage a tackand pull the tack from the shoe.

5. machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool provided with a working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, ayielding foot arranged to engage the surface of the sole close to thetack which is to be pulled and determine the correct position of theshoe before it is moved to bring the tack into the path of movement ofthe tool, said foot moving with the shoe when the tack is projected intothe path of movement of the tool, and mechanism for actuating the toolto dig into the sole of a shoe and engage the tack and pull the tackfrom the shoe.

6. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool provided with a Working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack,mechanism for actuating the tool to dig into the sole of a shoe andengage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe, and means actuated by themovement of the shoe when presented to the tool to throw said mechanisminto operation.

7. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool provided with a working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack,mechanism for actuating the tool to dig into the sole of a shoe andengage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe, a yielding gaging footarranged to engage the sole close to the tack to be pulled while thetack is out of the path of movement of the tool, and movable with theshoe when the tack is projected into the path of movement of the tool,and connections between the foot and tool actuating mechanism forcontrolling the operation of said mechanism.

8. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool rovided with a working end shaped todig into the sole of a shoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, ayielding gaging foot arranged to engage the sole close to the tack to bepulled while the tack is out of the path of movement of the tool,

and movable with the shoe when the tack is projected into the path ofmovement of the tool, mechanism for actuating the tool to en gage a tackand pull the tack from the shoe, means actuated by the movement of thefoot to throw the tool actuating mechanism into ope-ration, and meansfor automatically throwing said mechanism out of operatlon.

9. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling jaw mechanism for actuating said jaw toengage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe, a foot arranged tosupport the tack against the thrust of the tack pulling jaw, and meansto movably support said foot to allowit to move in the direction of thelength of a tack to accommodate itself to the size of the tack.

10. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling jaw constructed to dig into the sole of ashoe and ass beneath the head of a tack, mechanism or actuating the jawto dig into the sole of a shoe and engage a tack and pull the tack fromthe shoe, and a gaging foot arranged to en age the sole close to thetack which is to e pulled and support the tack against the thrust of thetack pulling jaw.

11. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling jaw constructed to dig into the sole of ashoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, mechanism for actuating thejaw to engage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe, a yieldinglymounted gaging foot arranged to engage the sole close to the tack to bepulled while the tack is out of the path of movement of the tool, and tobe moved with the shoe when the tack is projected into the path ofmovement of the tool, said foot being constructed to support the tackagainst the thrust of the tack pulling jaw.

12. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling jaw constructed to dig into the sole of ashoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, mechanism for actuating thejaw to engage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe, a yieldinglymounted gaging foot arranged to engage the sole close to the tack to bepulled while the tack is out of the path of movement of the tool, and tobe moved with the shoe when the tack is projected into the path ofmovement of the tool, said foot being constructed to support the tackagainst the thrust of the tack pulling jaw, and means actuated by themovement of the yielding foot to throw the tool actuating mechanism intooperation.

13. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling jaw constructed to dig into the sole of ashoe and pass beneath the head of a tack, mechanism for actuating thejaw to engage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe, and a footarranged to support the tack against the thrust of the tack pulling jawprovided with a projection to enter the sole close to the tack.

14. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool and gaging means relatively movable tobring the tack in the sole of a shoe into the path of movement of thetool, the working end of the tool bein shaped to dig into the sole ofthe shoe and pass beneath the head of the tack, and mech anism foractuating the tool to dig into the sole of a. shoe and engage a tack andpull the tack from the shoe.

15. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination,

work for limiting the efiective tack-engaging position of said tool withrelation to the work.

17. The combination with means to dig under the head of a tack and movethe tack, of a movable gage arranged to guard the tack-engaging ortionof said means for limiting the e ective digging movement thereof withrelation to the work.

18. The combination with means to dig under the head of a tack and movethe tack, of a spring-controlled gage arranged to guard thetack-engaging portion of said means for limiting the effective diggingmovement thereof with relation to the work.

19. In a machine of the kind described, tack-pulling mechanism,including a pointed digging tool adapted to dig under the head of a tackwhen embedded in an insole, and means to move the pointed end of saidtool obliquely downward and forward under the head ofthe tack and thencesharply upward almost but not quite vertical, so as to pull the tackwithout appreciable forward tack-pushing movement with relation to thework.

20. A machine of the kind described, comprising a tack pulling tool,operating means therefor, a movable work gage to determine the positionof the work with relation to the tool and a stop to limit the movementof the gage and determine the depth to which the tool shall penetratethe work.

21. A machine of the kind described, comprising a tack pulling tool,operating means therefor, a movable work gage to determine the positionof the Work with relation to the tool, and a stop for limiting themovement of the gage in each direction.

22. A machine of the kind described, comprising a tack pulling tool,operating means therefor, a yielding work gage to determine the positionof the work with relation to the tool, and a stop for limiting theyielding movement of the gage.

23. A machine for pulling insole tacks from a lasted shoe, having, incombination, a tack pulling tool and gaging means relatively movable tobring the tack in the sole of the shoe into the path of movement of thetool, a stop to limit the extent of such relative movement, andmechanism for actuating the tool to dig into the sole of the shoe andengage a tack and pull the tack from the shoe.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW EPPLER.

WVitnesses:

FRED O. FISH, ANNIE C. RICHARDSON.

